The No. 1 Houston Cougars (26-3, 13-3 Big 12) face off against the UCF Knights (15-13, 6-10) Wednesday. Tip-off from Addition Financial Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+/Big 12 Network). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s'lines around the'Houston vs. UCF odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Houston squeaked away with an 87-85 win over the Oklahoma Sooners Saturday, failing to cover as a 7-point road underdog. The Cougars shot 56.7% from the field and 52.6% (10 of 19) from long range, but they did give up 85 points and were outrebounded 27-22. It was Houston’s 7th consecutive victory and their 12th win in the last 13 games.
UCF suffered a 60-52 home loss to the No. 6 Iowa State Cyclones Saturday, while failing to cover as a 3.5-point underdog. Central Florida made just 1 of 19 3-pointers for an abysmal 5.3% from long range and it committed 22 turnovers. Saturday’s loss ended a 2-game win streak for the Knights, who are 2-5 in their last 7 games and 3-7 in their last 10.
In their 1st regular-season meeting, Houston beat a visiting UCF squad 57-42 Jan. 20, but the Knights covered as 17.5-point road underdogs while the Under (127.5) hit.